When buffets are inevitable...

MissLady03

Hello all! Tonight my husband and I are going out with one of our friend for his birthday. He decided he wants to go to Shade Maple. For anyone who lives in Pennsylvania, you know what I'm talking about! Tons of good, Dutch food!

Now, I am doing extraordinarily well with my food intake so far today but... in less than 4 hours I'll be at a huge buffet that I know and love. Does anyone have some advice on how they handle themselves when buffets are inevitable?

Theoretically, I know that I need to drink lots of water, eat slow, and stop when I'm full. But saying and doing are different things. Any advice?

Illona88

Just pick out the healthier stuff on the buffet.

Like salmon instead of pork, fruit instead of ice cream, vegetables instead of fries etc.

Just think of it like a little puzzle and get small portions at a time, rather than eating big plates.

kidtachyon

1. Small portions and just a few items on each plate.
2. When you are done, assuming you went over the calories you wanted to consume - just let it go and move on with a good day tomorrow!

Mokey41

Portion control, lots of veggies, water and will power.

salcha76

eat an apple on the way with a large glass of water.....exercise some more today.....yes...have a bite of what you want/crave....just a bite...and savor it.....look at the other people at the restaurant.....i went to a great buffet for mom's day...saw a party of 14...all of them over 300lbs easy...i lost my appetite....people who eat their money's worth at a buffett aren't normally healthy poeple.....stay strong!

SugarBaby71

Start with water and salad. I have no idea what might be on this buffet, but it's not going to do you a ton of good to stick with vegetabels if they're all fried. I'd set myself a limit before going. Say, two trips and only one dessert. Stick with water or plain tea and chat and be social... enjoy. Tomorrow, no regrets because you would have eaten mindfully and slowly. Go have a good time!

Peanutbutterx

birthdays and stuff like that - eat whatever you want, just put less of it on your plate than you did in the past and don't go for seconds. also somethin that helps me with things like that is before to have a big salad and drink a lot of water. but yeah just when you get there smalll portions. like kid sizes. works for me but everyones different

Peanutbutterx

hahah! sugarbaby are you my long lost twin?? we said basically the same thing at the same time

stardancer7

Small portions of only the items that can't be replicated anywhere else. Eat slowly and savour the special tastes--and enjoy the company and conversation over the food.

Brandilynnrose

I recently had the same problem at a buffet in Amish country! A hot buffet full a delicious, homemade Amish food. Carb central, and I love carbs. I decided to start with a HUGE salad from the salad bar with light dressing, while drinking a glass of water. It really did curb my appetitie so that by the time I got to the hot buffet I ate way less.

Paco4gsc

There was a 2011 study that found that people who 1) scouted out the buffet first vs. just getting in line and deciding yes/no to each item and 2) used smaller plates (the dessert/fruit ones vs the dinner plates) tended to make fewer trips and eat less.

Couldn't hurt to try.

princelukas777

I totally get where you're coming from with the whole buffet thing and I think you have a great game plan.

That being said, I really think there occasions that are "exceptions" in where you don't have to be as diligent about your food choices, you know what I mean? Obviously, I'm not suggesting you go all out and eat tor your heart's content, LOL, but I guess what I'm trying to say is that I think you should give yourself permission to "let loose" a little, so to speak, especially if visits to the buffet are a rare occasion. I always find that, at least from my own experience, that I regretted it more when I didn't really enjoy myself than when I was super super meticulous about what I ate.

On that note, when I do go to a buffet I tend to be a little more selective in the items I choose to eat. For example, if there's something that I particularly like (coconut shrimp!!! *drool*) than I'll eat a little more of that but then I'll skip out on other things. I also tend to eat as many fruits and veggies as I can as well. Oh yeah, and you probably don't want to go to a buffet hungry, so eat a little somethin' somethin' before.

=D.

Pearsquared

Even though I'm not on it, I go all Weight Watchers when it comes to these situations (my mom's on it). I fill 1/2 of my plate with vegetables, 1/4 with a protein, and 1/4 whatever I want. Sometimes with buffets, getting a lean protein that isn't fried is a bit tough, but usually I've managed. (:

MissLady03

You guys and gals are awesome!! Thanks! :happy:

Showcase_Brodown

You could load up on foods high in protein first... lean meats, etc. You could also fill up on veggies as they'll take up space and hardly rack up calories, in theory. Take your time and allow the full signals to register in your brain. If you end up going over, it's a buffet, and these things happen. It doesn't sound like you're going to the buffet often, so I doubt going over for this occasion is going to set you back very far. You have to have a little bit of flexibility built into your plan to allow for the inevitable social eating situations.